Apparatus for cleaning teat cups



May 6, 1930. A, H. c. BEC'KMAN r 1,757,035

APPARATUS FOR CLEANING TEA'I CUPS Filed April 18, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet lk EL 772 Z FIG I v /lVVfVTO'? Her/nan CBeci/nan- 4 5r ,9 a M May 6,1930.

H. C. BECKMAN APPARATUS FOR CLEANING TEAT CUPS Filed April 18, 1928 2Sheets-Sheet 2 firm/Mira. 4

Patented May 6, 1930 V.

" "UNITED STATES HERMAN c. BECKMAN, or CiHIOAGO, iLLINOIS, assrenon TO:THE DELLAVALSEPA- RATOR COMPANY, or NEW emen. Y., A conronnrron, or newJERSEY VAE'PABATUS, on CLEANING ,T EA'l ours Application filed rii e,

In an application filedby me March 27, 1928, Serial No. 265,127, I setforth adevice for the suspension of milking machine teat cups in suchmanner that the teat cups, the pulsator claw (if a claw forms a partof'the unit and it is desired to clean the milk cluster thereof) and themilk tubes, may befilled with a cleaning liquid, preferably asterilizing fluid, and retain such fluiduntil the teat cups are againused, just before which the sterilizing fluid may be discharged. V

The object of the present inventionis to provide means for washing outthe teat cups, and also sterilizing them, if desired, before theadmission of the sterilizing fluid which is to remain in the teat cupswhile'they are out of operation. The means embodying the presentinvention arearranged and adapted to be used in connection with thedevice set. forth in my said application, but such means are alsoadapted for independent use.

Preferred embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings, inwhich Fi 1 is a perspective view of a complete apparatus. embodying myinvention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view ofa modification. V

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional'view of the valve for controlling thecirculation of water in the modified apparatus.

Referring first to the construction shown in Fig. 1: o

A frame a, provided with two pairs of racks 6 adapted to support teatcups m by means of their overhanging flanges, supports a centralcontainer '0 for cleaning fluid and a support (Z for receiving,'and forsupporting, in inverted position, a, bottle 6 containing a cleaningsolution. The container 0 is provided with discharge cocks The describedconstruction may be, if desired, the same as that set forth in saidapplication, in

which the construction is shown and described in more detail.

In the drawings of the present case, two frames at are shown. Avertically disposed pipe it, having two valved inlet pipes i and j,extends to a horizontal pipe 7:, which is provided with cocksm adaptedfor connection with the milk tubes 2 of the teat cups 312. A

1928. Seria1 I\To..27Q,853. a

receptacle n fora washing compound may be, connected, through a valvedpipe, 0, with the T at the junction of thepipesji, y', and h.

1 In operation, if the milking machine unit is. provided with a clawcomprisingasmil'k tube cluster and a pulsator withaniattache'd .air tubecluster, the pulsator and air tube cluster are detached from the claw,but the milk tube cluster y and the milk tubefz are left assembled andsuspended from the teat cups,

the several milk tubes areiconnected with-the several cocks m. i 7 nCold, water under full pressure is then forced through pipes 11, h. and7s and;the milk tubes .21 and teatcupsm until the water runs.

off clear. The valve incoldwater pipe-i is then partly turned off andsteam is turned on by openingthe. valve -in pipe Scalding water is thusforced through the milk tubes and teat cups for several ,minutes,thusthor- 'oughly boiling out these parts; ,By opening the valve in pipe0, a washing'compound (for example, a soalysodaosolution) may be addedto the'hot water. After the admissionof the washing. compound is shutoii", the flew of hot water. should be continued inorderto rinseoutitheso'ap and soda, Finally, the cold water valve should be closedand live'steam blown through to sterilize. theparts, or. they may besterilized with a chemical solution, or with both. 7

After the washing has been completechthe milk tubes 2 are detached fromthe cocks m,-

drained, and, attached to the-cocks .The

cocks f should first be momentarily opened todrain off any wash waterthat. may have splashed into the chamber 0. A-bottle 6, con- '-taining acleaning solution, is then inverted and'depositedlonthe. support Thesolution escapes from the bottle and fills the con- 3? 7 tainer 0 tojust above the level .of the mouth of the bottle. Further. escape of thesolution is prevented the pressureiof the atmosphere balancing: thecolumn. of. solution and the partial vacuum in the bottle above thesolution. Cocksf are now opened and the solution fillsthetubes-zand'teat cups w, the solution continuing to escape from the bottle so asto maintain thelevel ofcleaningfluid in thecontainer until the teat cupsare filled.

In Fig. 2 the construction is in principle the same as in Fig. 1, butdifl'ersin detail therefrom in the following particulars. The steam pipe3 is directly connected with pipe 70, and the cold water pipe 1' isequipped with a three-way valve t controlling a short pipe connection toa T s on pipe 8. The cold water pipe 1' extends down into'a tank 1)..Valve t is first turned to the position shown in Fig. 3 toconnect theupper or inlet end of cold water pipe r with the Ton pipe 8. The coldwater overflowing from the teat cups collects in tank Q). When it isdesired to arrest the flow of cold water and supply hot-water, valve tis turned 90 to the right of the position shown in Fig. 3 to connect thelower end of pipe r with the T- on pipes. WVhen steam is turnedon,'w-ater isjdrawn from the tank v up through the lower end of pipe 1"past the valve t into" the steam connection, 1 thereby heating the waterand forcing hot water through pipe ']0,'themi lk pipe 2 and the teatcups. Aslong as this condition is'es- 'tablished, the same 'water isrecirculated or discharge end of the cold through these parts. Thisoperation may be followed by the addition of a washing com the headeradapted for connection with the milk tubes of teat cups,a rack outsideand above the tank adapted to support the teat cups in position to allowoverflow of water therefrom into the tank and with theirmilk tubes inposition for attachment to said cocks throughthe header and all in thesame direction through the teat cups and their tubes. In testimony ofwhich invention, I have hereuntorsetimy hand at Chicago, Illinois, onthis ninth day'of April, 1928 v HERMAN C. BECKMAN.

pound to the hot water-stream and by steriliz ing with live steam, orotherwise, as above described. In the steam sterilizing operation,valvet is'turn'ed to an intermediate position."

Instead of supporting the teat cups on the racks that are alsointended'and used for supporting the teat cups while they are connectedwith the container 0, the teat cups may be supported on other rackspositioned over a special sink; and,[if the washing operation, while theteat cups are on these racks, ist-o be followed by the supply of specialcleaning fluid intended to remain in the teat cups until they are againused in the milking operation, the teat cups, after the washing opeeration, are removed. from the last. named racks and transferredto'racks positioned like those showninFig; 1. 1 I Having'now fullydescribed my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters 1Patent ;is: p 1. A device for usein cleaning the teat cups and milktubes of milking machines, which comprises a rack adapted to support theteat cups with their milktubes depending therefrom, a header, meansonthe headerto re ceive the milk tubes, a tank, a cold water pipe havinga discharge end extending into the tank and an admission end, a steampipe communic'ating with the header, anda three-way valve on thecoldwater pipe adapted to be' operated to connect either the admissionend water pipe with the steam supply. 1 V

2. A device for cleaning the teat cups and milk pipes of milkingmachines, which com-

